Tel：
+86 13143444311
Email：sst@szsst88.com
Fax：+0086-755-27322278
Address：Building 9, First Industrial Zone, Tantou Industrial City, Songgang Street, Baoan District, Shenzhen 518105, Guangdong, China
Type:Tiny Allen screw (hex socket, countersunk head)
Materials:Stainless Steel 304
Surface treatment:Plain + Nylok Patch
Head Type:Countersunk Head
Size:M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10
Drive:Hex socket (Allen)
Thread:Machine thread, right hand
Forming:Heading with formed hex socket; thread rolled, nylon patch applied
Number:SST271
We manufacture tiny Allen screws in stainless 304 with a countersunk head, a hex socket and a pre-applied nylon locking patch, from M1 upwards and to your drawing. Socket size, head angle, thread and patch position are settled before the batch runs.
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ISO 9001:2015 · Manufacturing since 1998 · 8,678+ customers · 89 countries and regions
Made to order – there is no stock catalogue. Each part is produced to your drawing, and production starts after drawing review and first-article approval.
A tiny Allen screw is a small-diameter machine screw driven by a hex socket key instead of a cross recess, usually with a countersunk head so it finishes flush. The recorded configuration on this page is a stainless 304 countersunk screw with a hex socket and a pre-applied nylon locking patch, quoted from M1 upwards.
Hex socket in a small head. The key loads six flats inside the head, so a screw only a millimetre or two across can still take a real tightening torque. That is the whole reason a tiny Allen screw exists: a cross recess of the same size would cam out long before the joint was tight.
Countersunk head. The head is a 90° cone that drops into a matching seat, so nothing stands proud of the surface. On a small assembly that matters, because a head standing a few tenths above the face can catch on a sliding cover or a lens.
Nylon locking patch. A pre-applied patch of nylon on the thread acts as a reusable locking element. It resists vibration without liquid adhesive, it does not cure in the bag, and it can be re-used through several assembly cycles.
Small diameters, real tolerances. At M1 to M3 the whole screw is smaller than the burr a careless deburring step leaves behind. The head, the socket and the thread are checked on an optical projector, and burrs are controlled because on a tiny Allen screw a burr is a functional defect, not a cosmetic one.
Together these decide the joint: the socket takes the torque, the cone seats flush, the patch holds the screw against vibration, and the small body fits an assembly where nothing larger would go. That is why a tiny Allen screw is specified by socket size, head angle, thread and patch together.
The body of this tiny Allen screw is stainless 304 wire, with the heat number kept with the batch record. 304 is the default for small precision parts because it machines and rolls cleanly, holds a sharp socket edge and does not need a coating to survive indoor service.
The countersunk head and the hex socket are formed in one heading operation. At this size the socket is the critical feature: its depth and its flats are held so a standard key engages fully, because a socket that is a few hundredths shallow will round off the first time the screw is tightened.
The machine thread is rolled, not cut. Rolling gives a smooth flank and a continuous grain, and on a small screw it also avoids the burr that a cut thread leaves where it ends, which would otherwise have to be removed by hand.
The nylon patch is applied after the thread is finished and the parts are cleaned. It is a controlled deposit on one side of the thread, cured so it stays in place, and it is sized so the screw still turns by hand for the first few threads before the patch starts to grip.
Plain stainless is the finish. There is no plating to build up in the socket or on the thread, and no coating that the patch has to stick to, which is why the patch is applied to a bare, cleaned surface rather than over a plated one.
Tiny Allen screws of this type are quoted from M1 upwards, with the recorded configuration covering the small end of the M1 to M10 range in stainless 304. Custom lengths up to 2,000 mm are subject to DFM review after drawing submission, though on this part the practical question is usually the opposite one: how short the screw can be and still carry the socket.
| Item | How it is defined | What we control |
|---|---|---|
| Head diameter and angle | The 90° cone that seats flush | Checked on the optical projector |
| Socket size and depth | Hex key engagement in a small head | Checked with the matching key on the first article |
| Thread size and pitch | Machine thread, right hand | Gauged per batch at the small end |
| Length | From the top of the head to the tip | Datum stated on the drawing; measured on the projector |
| Patch position and size | Where the nylon sits on the thread | Checked on the first article and per batch |
| Burr condition | Edges at the head and the thread end | Checked under magnification |
Each size is quoted against the assembly it goes into. The socket size, the head angle and the thread are reviewed together, because a screw that is small enough to fit the hole may still be too small to take the torque the joint needs.
At this scale the drawing has to state the datum for length and the thread class, because a few tenths of a millimetre is the difference between a screw that seats and one that bottoms out before the head touches the cone.
The socket is what makes a tiny Allen screw usable in the first place. A hex key engages six flats rather than four, so the load is spread and the driver stays in the head even when the screw is being turned at an angle. On a screw this small, that is the difference between a joint that can be serviced and one that has to be drilled out.
| Parameter | Why it matters on this part | What we control |
|---|---|---|
| Socket size | Key engagement and torque capacity | Matched to the head; checked with the driver |
| Socket depth | Material left under the cone | Checked on the projector on the first article |
| Head angle | Seats flush in the countersink | Checked against the seat angle |
| Patch length | Locking without blocking the first threads | Checked on the first article and per batch |
| Patch adhesion | Stays on through handling and re-use | Cure controlled; checked by hand assembly |
The nylon patch works by interference. The patch sits proud of the thread flank, and when the screw is turned into a tapped hole the nylon is compressed against the mating thread. That compression is what resists vibration; it does not depend on a chemical reaction, so there is no pot life, no cure time at the bench and no risk of adhesive running into a blind hole.
A tiny Allen screw with a patch can be re-used. Each time it is driven the nylon is re-compressed, and the resistance falls gradually rather than disappearing at once. That is why the patch suits a cover or a bracket that is opened for service, where a liquid threadlocker would have to be cleaned off and reapplied each time.
The patch is applied to one side of the thread and sized so the screw starts by hand. A patch that is too long makes the screw difficult to start and can push the head off the cone; one that is too short gives no locking at all. Both are checked on the first article and sampled per batch.
This tiny Allen screw is supplied plain stainless with the nylon patch applied to the bare, cleaned thread. There is no plating to close the socket, no coating to change the thread class, and nothing between the patch and the metal for it to peel from.
| Finish | How it protects | Effect on socket and patch | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain, passivated 304 | Passive film forms in air | No build-up; patch bonds to clean metal | Instruments, electronics, indoor assemblies |
| Black oxide (stainless) | Chemical conversion, thin film | Minimal thickness; patch re-checked | Dark visible parts |
| Electropolished | Surface levelled, chromium enriched | A few microns removed; socket key re-checked | Visible precision parts |
| Nickel plated | Barrier layer over the stainless | Build-up in socket; key re-checked | Wear faces and decorative work |
| Zinc plated (steel equivalent) | Sacrificial zinc layer | Patch adhesion re-checked over plating | Steel parts where cost matters |
Where a coating is specified, the order of operations matters: coat first, patch second. A patch applied before plating is destroyed by the plating process, and a patch applied over a thick coating grips the coating rather than the thread.
Packing is part of the specification on a tiny Allen screw, not an afterthought. The parts are counted into bags by weight with a checked count, the bags are labelled with the batch and the material heat, and the screws are packed so the threads do not rub against each other in transit and knock the patch off.
Three assemblies where a small socket screw does a job that no cross-recess screw can do at the same size:
PCB and electronics sub-assemblies
|
Small socket screws on a PCB stack |
Precision instruments and optical mounts
|
Socket screws on an instrument frame |
| Where it sits | The screw closes a housing where the head sits in a countersink in a plastic or thin metal cover. |
| When it goes wrong | A patch that is too heavy stops the screw starting, and a burr at the thread end scratches the moulded cover as it goes in. |
| Why it happens | The parts are small, the housing is opened for repair, and the screws are driven by hand or with a low-torque driver. |
| What we control | Patch length and burr condition checked, and the first article driven into a sample housing. |
Four reasons that matter at the small end of the size range, each tied to what the drawing has to prove:
|
Socket and patch reviewed with the head
The socket size, the head angle and the patch length are reviewed before the die is cut, so a screw that cannot be driven or will not start is raised first. Basis: Socket, seat and patch reviewed before tooling. |
Headed, threaded and patched in one route
The cone and the socket are formed in the heading die, the thread is rolled, and the patch is applied and cured in house, so the sequence stays under one control. Basis: One route from wire to patched screw. |
|
Socket driven and patch checked on the part
The socket is driven with the matching key, the head angle is measured on the projector and the patch is checked by hand assembly, on the first article. Basis: First article driven and patch-checked. |
First article to repeat production
The first article fixes the drawing revision, wire heat, die set, thread roll and patch batch; repeat orders are compared against that record. Basis: First article signed off before the batch is released. |
Shi Shi Tong forms these tiny Allen screws on a heading machine that upsets the 90° cone and the hex socket in one operation, then rolls the machine thread and applies the nylon patch. The first part of every run is measured on the projector, driven with the matching key and checked for patch position, before the batch continues.
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At this size the handling of every tiny Allen screw matters as much as the machine. Parts are kept in covered trays between operations so burrs are not knocked up, the patch is cured before the parts go back into a bag, and the packed bags are counted by weight against a checked sample before they are sealed.
What decides whether a tiny Allen screw passes is not only the thread: it is the socket depth and flats, the head angle, the thread class at this small size, the burr condition and the patch. The inspection agreement covers those, and the criteria come from the drawing and the accepted sample.
Head angle and socket on the projector |
Thread gauged per batch |
Hardness testing where the drawing requires it |
Salt-spray testing of the passivated part |
Each batch is recorded against the drawing revision: socket and head from the first article, the thread gauged per batch, the patch checked by hand assembly and the burrs checked under magnification. If a key or the patch check fails, the parts back to the last good setting are held and re-checked.
If the finish needs an independent report, it is planned with the batch so the paperwork and the parts ship together under one batch number.
Every shipment of tiny Allen screws is traceable to the wire it was made from. The grade, heat number and standard are recorded on the material certificate supplied with the parts, and the inspection records follow the criteria agreed on the drawing.
ISO 9001:2015 |
RoHS test report |
Registered trademark |
Patent: security screw and driver |
With each batch we supply the material certificate, the inspection record for the criteria on the drawing and, where it is listed, the third-party report for the material or the finish. The documents carry the drawing revision and the batch number, so the paperwork can be matched to the parts.
More than 8,678 customers in 89 countries and regions have ordered from Shi Shi Tong; 87% of orders come from repeat customers and 56% through referrals. Most projects follow the same route: drawing review, first-article approval, then batches checked against that sample. On small socket screws the first article is driven into the customer’s own standoff or housing, so the socket, the seat and the patch are signed off in assembly. Buyers visit during the process to review samples and to see how the sockets are formed and how patched parts are packed.
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8,678+
customers served
|
87%
of orders from repeat customers
|
56%
of orders through referrals
|
89
countries and regions shipped to
|
Buyers and quality engineers visit for sample review, process discussion and supplier audits; the visit is arranged around production so the header and the patch line can be seen on the day the parts run.
Customer group visit – sample review |
Customer group visit – process discussion |
Customer group visit – factory tour |
Customer visit – project kick-off |
Danish customer – drawing review |
Industry exhibition – meeting customers |
It is a small-diameter machine screw driven with a hex socket key, usually with a countersunk head so it finishes flush. This one is stainless 304 with a 90° cone head and a pre-applied nylon locking patch.
A hex key engages six flats, so it holds more torque and stays in the head better than a cross recess of the same size. At M1 to M3 that is the difference between a screw that can be tightened and one that strips.
The patch sits proud of the thread flank and is compressed against the mating thread when the screw is driven. That interference resists vibration without adhesive, so there is no cure time and no risk of liquid running into a blind hole.
Yes, through several assembly cycles. The nylon is re-compressed each time and the locking resistance falls gradually rather than disappearing at once, which suits covers and brackets that are opened for service.
Plain 304 with the patch applied to the cleaned thread. Where a coating is specified, the part is coated first and patched afterwards, because a patch applied before plating is destroyed by the process.
Head diameter and angle, socket size and depth, thread size and pitch, length and the datum it is measured from, patch position and length, material and grade, finish, and the seat the head sits in.
How a tiny Allen screw project runs from drawing to repeat delivery:
|
1
Send the drawing or sample
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→ |
2
Socket, seat and patch review
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→ |
3
First article in the assembly
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→ |
4
Batch production and repeat orders
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Each step is confirmed with you before the next one starts; the drawing revision from the first article is what repeat orders are checked against.
For a quotation, send the drawing with the head diameter and angle, socket size and depth, thread size and pitch, length and its datum, patch position and length, material and grade, finish, and the seat the head sits in.
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Head diameter and angle
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Socket size and depth
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Thread size and pitch
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Length and datum
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Patch position
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Material and finish
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Sending a drawing? The form below does not take attachments. Email the PDF, DXF or STEP file to sst@szsst88.com with the part name and quantity in the subject line – the drawing is reviewed and a quotation follows.
+86 13143444311
sst@szsst88.com
